Inking mechanism for printing machines



July 29, 1941. R. BRADSHAW ETAL 2,251,032

:mmm MEcaANIsM Fox PRINTING MACHINES Filed nec. 1e. 1959 5 2 22' /2 INveN-rors Patented July 29, 1941 INKING MECHAN'ISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Robert Bradshaw and John Malcolm Lougee, London, England, assignors to R. Hoe & Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 1s, 1939, serial No. 309,903

' In Great Britain January 5, 1939 (c1. iol-365) I 9 Claims.

This invention relates to vimprovements in inking mechanism for printing machines and of the kind comprising an ink rail having a throat Apart affording an arcuate surface which is presented concentrically to the periphery of an inking drum, the surface having openings through through which ink fed under pressure, usually by an ink-pumpsystem, passes to the periphery of the drum. The rail is generally supported by bearers which are remote from the bearings supporting the drum and the clearance between the arcuate surface and the periphery of the drum is usuallyv very small, say .004".01". Hence while it is possible vto produce an ink rail with an arcuate surface which should theoretically; when the parts are assembled, be concentric with and have the required clearance with respect to the-drum, in practice it usually is necessary to expend-considerable time and labour in handscraping the arcuate surface to obtain the desired results .of concentricity and clearance.

Again, even if the parts be hand fitted in the place of production, the setting may be thrown out by transportation to the printing works where the machine is to be employed and it beover, in the course of time the concentricity and clearance may depart from those desired and it becomes again necessary to resort to re-setting by hand-scraping.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement which will enable the throat of the rail to be adjusted without requiring this hand nishing operation.

To achieve this object. the present invention consists in so arranging the throat of an ink rail that it can be universally adjusted with respect to a support which is fixed in relation to a drum or other rotary member with which the throat is to co-operate. More particularly, the ink rail may be formed in two parts, one of which provides the throat,l while the other is disposed to be supported by the machine frame, and means are provided for so supporting the rst part on the second that the first part can be universally adjusted with respect to the second part.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a general view,

of an ink rail, Figure 2 a part plan of the rail shown in Figure 1, taken to a larger scale, and

ure 2.

In the drawing, I indicates the frame of a and also having bearers 3 for supporting the ink rail. The ink rail is formed by a component 4 and two similar components 5, one for each half of the drum. 'I'he component 4 is supported at its ends directly by the bearers 3, while each component 5 is provided with an arcuate surface or throat 6 which is required to be concentric with the drum 2 and -to have only a small clearance with respect to the periphery thereof. Into the arcuate surface open passages I connected by pipes 8 to an ink pump system contained in a pump box 9, the pipes extending between flanges II) on the component 4.

It will be apparent from a consideration of Figure 1 that if the components 4 and 5 were integral, as is the usual practice, thien even though in production the arcuate surface be shaped accurately to conform theoretically with the required clearance with respect to the periphery of the drum, yet in assembling the parts the arcuate surface infact would not conform asrequired. The present invention enables, however, any required adjustment to be made of the components 5 to obtain the desired conformity without having to hand-scrape the surface 6.

For this vpurpose eachv of the components 5 is supported from the component 4, so that the components 5 can be universally adjusted thereon. Thus, each component 5 is connected to the component 4 by two bolts I2 which screw into the component 4, and on one of these bolts I2 is mounted an eccentric tube I3 extending intov a slot formed in the component 5, the tube' having a caps'tan head I4 by which it can be rotated onfthe bolt I2. Each component 5 has inv screwed up producing an angular adjustment of the component 5 about a longitudinal axis until the axis of curvature falls upon the axis of the drum 2, It may, however, be that after this adjustment the twaxes do not fall completely upon one another but merely intersect, theaxis of curvature being at an angle in two directions to the axis of the drum 2. To adjust for this printing machine, the frame having bearings supporting the ink distributing drum or cylinder 2 condition, the screws I5 at o'ne end of the component (as seen in Figure 2) are unscrewed and those at the other end are screwed up and, in

addition the eccentric I3 is rotated. By this means the axis of curvature of the arcuate surface can be angularly adjusted in two directions at right angles to one another and both at right angles to the first adjustment until the axis'of the surface 6 falls wholly upon the axis of the drum 2, at which time the arcuate surface 6 will bear the required concentric relation to the drum 2 and with the required clearance with respect to the periphery of the drum.

It will of course be understood that although the adjustment operations are described sepa.- rately, they would in practice be effected in conjunction to obtain the desired effect.

As shown in the drawing, only one bolt I2 is provided with an eccentric I 3, but if desired both bolts I2 could have an eccentric I3, thus enabling the component 5 to be adjusted angularly about two displaced vertical axes.

Each component 5 may, as shown, consist of two parts whichare rigidly secured to one another. The part indicated at I6 is adjustably supported by the component 4, while the other part, indicated'at II, is bolted to the part I6 by bolts I8 and located by a rib I9 entering a groove. The part II affords a removable cap plate providing between itself and the other part I6 the ink conveying passages 1 which extend to the arcuate surface 6, which is itself formed conjointly by the two'parts I6, I1.

The component 4 may also have, as is usual in ink pump rails, a pinion 20 near the ends of a shaft 2| and in mesh with racks on the bearers 3, the shaft being rotatable and effecting by its rotation the racking of the ink rail towards and away from the drum 2.

It is to be observed that although two components 5 are provided in the construction illustrated, there may only be one component 5 (especially in cases where the drum is narrow) or, on the other hand, more than two components 5 could be provided in the length of the component C, which itself may be formed in separate parts, one for each component 5.

What we claim is:

1. An inking mechanism for supplying ink to to the surface of an ink distributing cylinder and comprising a component having a curved ink applying throat adapted to be positioned in concentric relation to the surface of the cylinder, means to convey ink to the said throat, a supporting member for the component, means forsecuring the componentto the supporting member, and separate but related instrumentalities for universally moving the component relative to the supporting member to accurately adjust the throat to concentric relationship with respect to the cylinder surface.

2. An inking mechanism for supplying ink to the surface of an ink distributing' cylinder, and comprising a component having a curved surface adapted to cooperate in concentric relationship with the surface of the cylinder, means to convey ink to the curved surface, a supporting member, and means for securing the component to the supporting member, adjusting members Supported by the said securing means and operably engaging the component to effect lateral adjusting movement thereof,` and means for effecting vertical adjusting movement of the component whereby the curved'surface thereof is positioned in accurate concentric relationship with respect to the cylinder surface.

3. An inking mechanism for supplying ink to the surface of an ink distributing cylinder and comprising a component having a curved ink applying throat adapted to be positioned in concentric relation to the surface of the cylinder,

means to convey ink to the said throat, a supporting member for the component, and means for securing, the component to the supporting member, separate but related instrumentalities for adjustably moving the component relative `to the supporting member whereby the component is adjustable in three directions at right angles to one another.

4. An inking mechanism for supplying ink to the surface of an ink distributing cylinder and comprising a component having a curved ink applying throat, means to convey ink to the said throat, a supporting member for the component.. and means for securing the component to the supporting member, and means for universally adjusting the component relative to the supporting member and cylinder, the said adjusting means including two spaced pin members, and an eccentric on at least one pin member for adjusting the component angularly about thev other pin member.

5. An inking mechanism for supplying ink to the surface of an ink distributing cylinder and comprising a component having a curved ink applying throat adapted to be positioned in concentric relation to the surface of the cylinder, means to convey ink to the said throat, a supporting member for the component, means for securing the component to the supporting member, and means supporting the component for universal adjustment on the supporting member, the said means including four spaced screws by manipulation of which in different pairs the component is adjusted in two directions at right angles to accurately position: the curved ink applying throat in accurate concentric relation to the surface of the cylinder.

6. An inking mechanism for supplying ink to the surface of an ink distributing cylinder and comprising a component having a curved ink applying throat adapted to be positioned in concentric relation to the surface of the cylinder, means to convey ink to the said throat, a supporting member for the component, means for securing the component to the supporting member, means supporting the component for universal adjustment on the supportingy member, the said means including two spaced pin members, an eccentric device on at least one pin member to.adjust the component in one angular direction about the other pin member, and four spaced screws by manipulation of which in different pairs the component is adjusted in two other angular directions at right angles to each other and to the said one angular direction.

'7. An inking mechanism for supplying ink to the surface of an ink distributing cylinder and comprising a component having a curved surface co-operating with the surface of the cylinder, means to convey ink to the curved surface, a supporting member, means for securing the component to the supporting member, means supporting the component for universal adjustment on the supporting member, the said means including two spaced pin members, an eccentric device on each pin member to adjust the component in one angular direction about the other pin member, and four spaced screws by manipulation of which in different pairs the component is adjusted in two other angular directions at right angles to each other and to the said one angular direction.

8. An inking mechanism tor supplying ink to the surface of an ink distributing cylinder andcomprising a supporting member, a plurality of accurately adjust its throat to concentric relationship with respect t'o the cylinder surface.

9. An lnking mechanism for supplying ink to the surface of an ink distributing cylinder and comprising a supporting member, a plurality of components spaced along the supporting member, each component having a curved ink-apply-I ing throat adapted to be positioned in concentric relation' to the surface of the cylinder, means to convey ink to the throat oi' each component means for securing each component to the supporting member, and means supporting each component for universal adjustment on the supporting member, the said means including two spaced pin members, an eccentric device on at least one pin member to adjust the component in one angular direction about the other pinmember, and four spaced screws by manipulation of which in diilerent pairs the component is adjusted in two other angular directions at right angiesto each other and to the said one angular direction.

ROBERT BRADSHAW.

JOHN MALCOLM LOUGEE. 

